Did you miss me?

Isn't it always the way - when you have something to blog about, you are too busy to sit at the computer.  Sorry to be silent for so long but it's been a bit hectic making costumes for the dance school my daughters go to (never turn down paid work I always say, especially if it involves sewing).  Since I last posted, I have made three of these...

And five of these (ignore the bits of paper)...

 Designed and made this ...

 

Then piled into a car to compete in the All Irelands and International in Ennis (the girls, not me) and take a holiday while we were there.  Saw lots of these...

 And walked on this...

 And just had to take a photo of this house (and if you recognise it, you are as sad bad as me!)

And what with Easter, the Royal Wedding (lovely - I must be going soft in my old age, I never watched any of the other ones) and DH turning 60, it has been non-stop celebrating since we came home. Normal service will be resumed shortly!

Finishing Chapter 6

Finally, the rest of chapter 6, samples mounted on paper with a 2p coin for scale.

Top left - 3d slip cut from drinks cans that have been heated and coloured, stitched down with french knots.  Top right - fine metal mesh free machined between 2 layers of fabric and manipulated into shape.  Bottom left - these samples show distortion using heat and seemed to naturally fall into a posy.  All six shapes were cut from the same piece of silk using the template on the right, so you can see how much they have changed shape.  The 'petals' are silk backed with painted Tyvek (from a used envelope), free machined  and zapped with a heat gun.  The 'leaves' are silk backed with TextureMagic and stitched in curved lines then heated with a steam iron to shrink.  While the Tyvek bubbles and curls, the TextureMagic shrinks but stays flat, causing the top layer to wrinkle.  The close up below shows this a bit more clearly.

Module 4 Chapters 4 to 6 Part 2

For the next stage, I made two pieces of fabric from which to cut slips.  These are both made from layers of assorted sheers backed on felt.  I free-machined in looping petal shapes to reflect the shapes printed on my decorated papers from the previous chapter (images 13 and 14 in the Dec 5th post), and  used the same two colour schemes.

The next two pictures show how I applied the slips cut from these surfaces to new backgrounds and also added some of the earlier ones.  10p coins are included to give the scale.

Photo 1

Photo 1

The background is a piece of dyed silk backed with felt stitiched with a digitised knotwork motif designed as a sample in module 2.  I repeated the motif many times, letting it overlap and changing colours randomly, giving an overall trellis effect to complement the flowers.  The slips have been attached as follows (numbers on the photo)

1. Added another layer of sorbello stitches which carry on into the background.
2. Placed the slip on the background and repeated the knotwork motif over and around it.
3. These are two slips made on the embellisher using little snippets of thread on felt to reflect the softness of the pastels (image 12 in the Dec 5th post).  These are dangling freely from loops of thread.
4. A couched thread makes a more definite edge.
5. Rows of herringbone stitches encroaching on the slip.

Photo 2

Photo 2

Background is dyed silk backed with felt and painted with Markal sticks, again using shapes from strapwork studies in module 2.  In this case, the angles contrast with the rounded slips.

1. Slip attached by couching another colour around the outline of the flower head.
2. Slits cut in the silk and the slips attached at one end to the felt underneath.
3. Attached using beads at the centre.
4. Handstitched lines added to the design and carried over into the background.
5. Held down by two large pearl-headed pins (like a butterfly).
6. Not sure the photo shows this very well - I have used a stiff thread to attach groups of beads to points around the edge.  The thread stands up in loops above the slip to echo the petal shapes stitched on it

Whoops!

Bit of an error in the last post - I am at the exhibition on Saturday, not Sunday - 10 to 12 if you still want the cuppa!

Embroiderers' Guild Exhibition

Embroidery Exhibition 25^th – 27^th February 2011, Stoke Lodge Adult Education Centre, Shirehampton Road, Bristol, BS9 1BN

I have entered  Glimpsing the Storm and some of my collages for this exhibition which should be well worth a visit - there is always a wide variety of work from branch members.  As it is our 30th anniversary (which is the pearl one), the branch is holding a competition for members on the theme of 30 something.  We were given a few pearls and a piece of silk, and had to make a piece no larger than 30 x 30cm which used them.  I racked my brains for ages trying to think of something - 30 stitches, 30 colours, 30 days hath September, 30 pieces of silver...  While I was on a biblical theme I decided to look up psalm 30 and found this lovely line "weeping may tarry for the night , but joy comes with the morning".   So here is my entry, a bright orange, joyful sunrise.

The background is painted silk with kantha style stitching to suggest the heat haze and text printed directly onto silk.  The sun is lots of handstitiching piled up on soluble fabric, it is all sorbello stitch.

I am on tea duty on the Sunday morning, so if you are in the area pop in and say hello, and I'll make you an extra nice cuppa.

Module 4 Chapters 4 to 6 Part 1

For chapter 4, here is my worksheet of ideas for making slips based on the decorated papers and flower shape from chapter 3.  I realised afterwards that as I have written in pencil, it is very hard to read, so below I have clarified the notes starting from the top and working clockwise around the paper flowers:

• Build up colour using optical mixing. Try some of the trellis stitches or battlement couching.
• Experiment with digitising - surface patterns (add hand stitch), colour changes,light stitching repeated and offset, try woolly thread and brushing afterwards.
• Bold handstitches - threads or string loosely strung over solid edge (wire?)
• Soft fluffy stitching - velvet stitch, victorian tufting, tailor tack on machine.
• Carrier bags - collect colours; fuse and cut with soldering iron.
• Layers of sheers plus soldering iron - solid colour layers or scraps; stitch on each layer to give colour changes.
• Lace effects - lutradur or felt burnt through, solubles.
• Metal backed with pelmet vilene, paint and stitch.
• Couched thread on fabric, cut from fabric made from scattered threads on soluble, satin stitch lines.
• Transfer image from decorated papers to fabric - TAP, other methods, direct printing - stitch on top.
• Solubles - create slip from stitch alone machine or lots of handstitch.

Notes by the drawings:

•  imitate the rose petal effect - could be lines of stitch
• raised padded areas
• layers of light fabric secured in centre so edges flap freely
• scrumpled fabric (or paper) built up in layers.

Thoughts on textures

• momigami
• scrumple paper on pelmet vilene and cut out
• shrinking thread
• shrinking fabric

Thoughts on edges

• turned
• burnt
• frayed
• hanging threads
• continue stitch into background
• corded
• satin stitch
• stitch around and nibble into slip.

Here are the sample slips so far, the 10p coin in the picture gives scale and the slips are described by number underneath.  Click on the photo to enlarge.

1. Bayeux stitch on cotton
2. Digitised stitch - drawn directly into the software
3. As 2 using fast pen strokes
4. Digitised stitch - open filling repeated three times in different colours and slightly offset.
5. Digitised stitch - solid filling with contrasting top layer
6. Digitised stitch - solid spiralling filling (will do something else with this)
7. As 4 making each layer smaller than the last
8. Threads captured in layers of soluble fabric, digitised openwork pattern.
9. As 8 but just stitching outline which was then whipped by hand.
10. As 8 but just stitching outline then filling with layers of sorbello stitch.

As Christmas intervened, I packed away the sewing machine but I jumped ahead and tried one of the exercises from chapter 6.

 This is made from layers of crystal organza and chiffon in honey, gold, pink and blue (the photo looks a bit washed out).  I used a stencil cutter to cut out the flower shapes.  At the bottom, one has been left attached by one edge, cut into layers and folded back.  The flowers were then distressed with a heat gun.  The fabrics reacted by shrinking different amounts, sticking together and curling up.  I really like these, they look and feel like dried up petals.  I have mounted the fabric with the negative shapes onto a piece from the 'failed samples' pile which has similar blue/green colours and some stitching of a pylon drawing.  I thought this would stop the pastel colours from being too pretty and add to the grungy worn-out look.  I have flipped over the petals and attached them with just one or two stitches as if they had been blown by the wind (around a desolate industrial site perhaps).

Odds and Ends

Well, can't believe I haven't posted here since October.  I seem to have been busy doing odds and ends and most of my stitching has been for christmas presents.  Always a problem for a blogger as you can't say too much about it.  I saw a picture of some candles decorated with machine embroidered motifs so I made loads using commercial patterns on the computerised machine - here is just one. 

 I also made this little cushion as a last-minute gift for someone who has a westie - again a commercial embroidery design and some very simple patchwork as a border.

And here are my ATCs for the January swop on Facebook on the theme of musical.
As usual, I have been getting distracted - this time by my brother's present to me...

...an electronics kit (and my sister gave me the book to go with it).  It is a great kit, designed for people with no experience to learn to programme a microcontroller.   It connects to a computer via USB to download your program and then runs from the mains or a battery.  You can use inputs such as buttons, tilt switches or pressure pads and control output to eg LEDs or motors, making interactive objects. I have spent a few happy evenings working through the sample programs and then writing my own to understand how it works.  So, where is all this leading?  Answer  - to incorporating electronics into textiles using a LilyPad  - a microcontroller designed to be sewn into wearables.  No particular project in mind at the moment, but I am sure something will happen.  For more info see the Arduino website  and Leah Buechley's LilyPad pages and to see what people have made with a LilyPad, have a look at this video on YouTube.

And finally while I'm in a high-tech mood, check out this site and meet the RepRap - a self-replicating desktop sized 3d printer you can build at home and then use to produce the parts to make another one (you may have seen an article in the Sunday Times a couple of weeks ago).  I feel sure there will be ways of using this with textiles...

Module 4 Chapter 3 - Part 2

More playing with flower images in Paint Shop Pro, looking at patterns, because I enjoy it -

1. Using the kaleidoscope effect on flower head  - 10 petals, all other settings 0 and edge mode set at repeat.

Image 1

2.  Kaleidoscope effect with different settings - horizontal offset 100%, vertical offset -63%, angle 152, scale -4, 7 petals, radial suction 39.

Image 2

3. Kaleidoscope effect again applied to the saturated image of flower head 3 (see last post)  with settings - 6 petals, angle 274, scale -31, edge mode set at wrap.

Image 3

4. Pattern effect - horizontal offset 68%, vertical offset 62%, rotation 90, 3 columns and 3 rows.

Image 4

 5. Flower head 1 and feedback effect.  I used the randomiser which came up with these settings - opacity 85%, horizontal 28, intensity 95, vertical -93, elliptical.  I like the build up of overlapping petals in this one and the repeated shapes - could be the start of an idea for a 3d piece?  I see it as a long trailing cloak, perhaps a stage costume. It could either be very stiff and heavy with the layers standing apart (think Sydney Opera House) for a haughty queen  or soft and light for a gentle character. Not so keen on the colour (too bland) so I would reintroduce the gold/yellow shades.

Image 5

6. Image 5 repeated, flipped, layered.  Seems to have turned into bird's wings.

Image 6

 I mentioned before that I had done a little bit of drawing over the summer - image 7 shows the sketches.  On the right are a rose in fine black pen and red marker pen; bottom right corner a gladioli (gladiolus?) in soluble pencils; left side using soluble pencils to explore shapes and colours from my flower photos; top left drawing the shapes from image 5.

Image 7

 The next few photos are different drawings from the photos.   I have included a 2p coin (1") for scale as they are different sizes.

 

 

Image 8

 Image 8 is soft pastels, image 9 is Markal sticks.  I like the energy in this one, although it looks more like a dahlia than the original flower.

Image 9

Image 10  - soft pastels on black paper.

Image 10

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next come the decorated papers, these are all A3 sheets. First is just stripes of colours.

Image 11

 Next I cut out card templates of the flower head and used it to rub off soft pastels (left) and Markal sticks (right). I washed the right hand one with ink but didn't like the colour, so I added pastels on top to tone it down.  You can see the templates on top of the papers.

Image 12

 Next, I made a string block in the shape of the petals and used it for two more papers. Image 13 is a rubbing with Markal sticks.

Image 13

Image 14 is the block pressed into a layer of gesso and coloured with soft pastels and also shows the block.

Image 14

And finally, I couldn't resist trying this - a pylon photo repainted with image 14, more fun than grey.

Image 15

Module 4 Chapter 3 - part 1

Following on from my last post - at Sian's suggestion, I have added a postscript to the virtual sketchbook for Glimpsing the Storm explaining how I used a telescopic pole to make it freestanding - you never know when it may be useful.

For chapter 3, I am exploring ideas that could be turned into 'slips' for embroidery, based on flowers.  I did sort of start doing this in the summer and sketched a couple of flowers but now we are in November, I have turned to my photo collections for inspiration.  I found I had rather a lot of close-ups of flowers, so I chose three to work with; two are from a visit to the National Botanical Gardens of Wales (I don't know what the flowers are - can anyone enlighten me?) and the third is a rose from our garden.

Source photo 1

Source Photo 2

Source photo 3

 Then I played in Paint Shop Pro - the first step was to isolate 3 of the flowers by using lassoo selection and pasting as a new image, which has a transparent background. 

Flower head 1

Flower head 2

Flower head 3

Then I created the following images

1. Flower head 1 changed to greyscale and applied black pencil effect.  Suggests a padded or quilted piece.

Image 1

2. Flower head 1 with rough leather texture effect

Image 2

3. Image 2 layered on top of a copy of flower head 1 with the opacity of the top layer reduced to 44%.  I used the eraser to rub away parts of the centre of the top layer to reveal the colours beneath and applied the rough leather texture again. 

Image 3

4.Flower head 3 with the details softened by the smudge brush.

Image 4

 5. Flower head 3 with the hue brush applied

Image 5

 6.Flower head 3 with saturation brush

Image 6

7. Three copies of flower head 1 layered up slightly misaligned and opacity reduced between layers to 50%. I tidied up the image by using the eraser and the clone brush to remove the extra stalks and  fill the gap with nearby colours, and then ran the soften brush around the edge. This image is less harsh than the original photo and suggests silk shading or layers of sheers.  Or the softness could be translated into felt.

Image7

8. I wanted to try using the shape of flower head one as a template so I used it as a mask layer on source photo 3.  I had an idea of it being crammed full of petals or flowers - this trial doesn't look right so I may come back to it, I may be able to play with the scale.

Image 8

9. I printed out copies of all these images to make up sketchbook pages and when I was cutting them out, I put one on a background and took a  photo.  The background is a used piece of TAP (I had been experimenting with transferring an image onto a collage of fabric scraps but the printer ran out of coloured ink and produced a peculiar colour.  I went ahead anyway to see how the fabrics took the transfer and it left behind a lovely grungy texured image on the paper).

Image 9

10. I scanned in the sheet of TAP, put image 7 on top and cropped to a square.

Image 10

11. I pulled out an image from my module 1 study of pylons which was a scan of a paper rubbing and used it as a background.  On top, I used flower head 3 which I had manipulated as for image 7.

Image 11

Website Update

One last photo for the assessment piece - I have put all the stitch samples together onto one long strip for storage.  As before, I have gathered up all the notes and photos from this log into a 'sketchbook' on my website, which you can find at http://www.janeoleary.name/ - follow the link for Glimpsing the Storm.

Module 4 Chapter 2

 For this chapter, I have been working tiny samples based on stitches and styles from Elizabethan and Russian embroidery studied for chapter one.  I have worked in the style of a spot sampler on red silk.

 

The black and white image below gives the key for the samples. I have just realised that I forgot to include a size reference in the photo, but sample 5, the tudor rose, is 4.5cm across.

 

 

1. Motif from an 18th century Russian towel edge - chain stitch in metallic thread with small sequins.
2 Flower from Russian peasant embroidery - chain stitch and satin stitch.
3. Stem in raised stem band.
4. As 1 but reworked a little larger in black stranded cotton.
5 Tudor rose design taken from an Elizabethan hanging - worked in cross stitch and French knots on waste canvas, outlined with back stitch.
6. Silk shading on linen backed with calico, cut out and sewn onto background with edges turned under.
7. Ceylon stitch over a wired shape - stitched on calico, cut off and attached to background by one edge.
8. Satin stitch over petal cut from craft vilene.
9. Detached buttonhole worked on calico and cut off, then applied to the background over a black felt petal.
10. Blackwork pattern taken from a 17th century sampler and stitched on linen, petal edged in stem stitch.  applied to background with edges turned under.
11. Flower centre filled with speckling.
12.Leaf copied from Elizabethan hanging - layers of satin stitch in cotton perle over two layers of felt padding.  Edge, stalk and central vein in couched gold jap, other details in stranded cotton.

I am also including here a picture of a cushion I finished earlier this year following a workshop with Fay Maxwell as it shows another interpretation of flowersand more stitches, this time based on crewel work.  The flowers are cut freehand from thick felt and the stitches worked in tapestry wools and perle threads.  The background is silk supported by cotton and it has been backed with wadding and another layer of cotton, and quilted in the style of a kantha which makes the petals stand out. I added further padding to a few of the petals by cutting into the backing to raise them up further before the quilting was done.